Pet shop owners

Hi

It all depends, does the shop actually sell Pets?

Also what qualifications does the owner have? Are they an SQP for selling "Veterinary Medicines".
It is well established that only a qualified Vet is allowed to make a diagnosis on an animal, so pet shop owners have to be very careful to not imply diagnosis, and only suggest things in a if this was true situation.

Perhaps giving more information would allow better advice. Where abouts is the shop based?

Many Thanks

Leo

Hi thanks for the reply. The shop does sell animals, but not veterinary medicine, altho said pet shop last year advised my sister (she's not very experienced with dogs and it was her first) - to keep her dog on a certain food even though she had been to her vets that day as her dog was experiencing sickness and was told to take off his current food as MAY have an allergy to something in the brand.....pet shop owner told her this was rubbish so she kept dog food.....

This pet shop has also told me that my 11 yr old dog experienced stiffness in her joints due to the *Crap* (a branded dog food widely avaible) dog food I fed her earlier in life...even tho she has been on a prescription dog food for the last 2 years and her previous food was no longer an issue as she runs like a puppy these days!!....

Sorry just realised I have gone off on one again!

Hi

There is always a fine line with dog food advice from vets. I hate to say it but it is a unfortunate truth that some vets say a dog should be on a "prescription diet" because it is not available in many pet shops. As you are probably aware there is nothing technically "prescription" about the prescription diets vets suggest, they have no legal classification, it is simply a name given by the manufacturers.

There are a lot of rubbish pet food about that contain nothing but offal which can cause health problems. To be honest they will have a license for selling the live stock, but the advice you have been given is not out right wrong, just possible.
They probably shouldn't have given you that advice but I do have to sympathies with independent pet shops sometime, as they are being ganged up on by vets and pet food manufacturers. Although personally I don't agree with shops selling pets.

As they are not qualified as an SQP there would be little any reporting to anyone could do, I think you best bet might just to be to find a better pet shop.

Where abouts are you located?

I hope this helps

Many Thanks

Leo

Hi Leo, im in the West Midlands (altho guess I shouldnt say much more). I don't as a rule use this pet shop as I don't like how the owner conducts himself and has a picture of "by-products" on the counter. I don't agree with scare mongering people into buying a certain product with horrid pictures - if your product is good sell it to me with selling points don't try and scare/boss me into buying anything. I have two dogs both are on a brand (is recommened and sold in vets) for different needs - I have a younger active dog who is a fussy eater and struggles to keep his weight and an 11 year old dog who as she has got older has put on weight and got less mobile (both on foods for 2 yrs)- I had taken advise from my vets and was very happy with both foods. My reason for change with the older one was due to the fact she has lost weight and she's running around like a senile puppy and im very happy with her. I have spoken to my vet and to a rep of the brand in question (at crufts) and it was decided I could bring her off the prescription food onto a "light"/"mature" alternative of same brand, as long as I kept an eye on her and things didn't deteriorate then she would be okay. .....(I currently buy it online and wanted to try new food before getting my other pet shop to buy in with little ones food).

So my visit was only due to the fact I know he stocks the food I require and was just really checking the ingredience of the "light" and the "mature" food to ensure I was getting the best one for her...........after asking if I required help I explained to the owner I was after X - brand but either mature of light, explaining id taken advise from vet and X- brand rep........he then delved in to food she had eaten years earlier...when told he then toddles of to get the picture of by-products that quite frankly make me ill!! Then picked up another brand of food comparing ingredience even tho I had specified which brand and it was a choice of 2 foods.....He told me his dog had been on brand X until something better had come along, and no wander my dog was limping because I had fed her "crap"!!!

I didnt go to the shop to be sold food with a better mark up for him, I wanted a food I was happy with and had already taken advise of, I didnt want to be insulted nor scare mongered into buying his recommended brand - (which as stated earlier my sisters dog was on and it made him ill - I also worked on a vets reception a few years ago and no one knew of this "wander" food!!)

I did get the food I wanted but was sooo upset and frankly a little mad. I can afford to put my dogs on a more expensive food but if I couldnt I would have felt like a bad dog owner! There are plenty of people who love there pets very much and feed them what they can afford - this is NOT acceptable if you buy your food from that petshop, you get bullied and feelings hurt!

Not once has my vet said I should or should not feed a certain food, they advise if I ask for it. I just think he could really confuse new owners with less experience!


Phew....all off the chest now! Thanks for reading its better than counselling this!

Glad I can be of some sort of help!

It does sound like the owner likes pushing people on to the food they prefer to sell.
However one thing to consider is pet shop owners get no end of grief off customers who have problems with their animals because of food they get from the shop. So they obviously want to but them on the food they get the least problems with.

However I do agree if you just wanted to know the ingredients you should just get them, but thats sales people for you!

I hope this is of some help.

Many Thanks

Leo

Hi Pet Nanny,

Many thanks for your advice. The food my dog was on is great and with her weight loss she's doing really well but will bear in mind the cod liver oil - (I could use some myself!)

I did write a letter to the brand of food I use and reported the pet shop, they have said the area rep will speak to the pet shop and I have a £5.00 voucher off next food. The lata was a bonus but I am happy they will atleast speak to the owner and make him aware of the presure he's putting on customers!

Thanks for the comments - I am a little calmer now!